Brookline has a big opportunity to use the state’s Community Preservation Act to create more housing and help Massachusetts dig out of its ongoing housing crisis. The CPA has been around for more than two decades, yet it’s not being used to its full potential. In fact, more than a third of communities participating in the program are failing to meet the legal mandate that 10 percent of the assessment on local property taxes be spent on housing, according to a recent study from the Tufts Center for State Policy Analysis and the Greater Boston Real Estate Board. At the very least, Brookline should commit to spending the required amount on housing. And moving forward, the state should strengthen the law to entice communities to spend even more on housing production. The CPA isn’t the silver bullet for the crisis. But it’s an existing tool that we can all leverage to create the housing the area so greatly needs.
Doug Bray, Brookline
Doug Bray is a real estate agent.